{"id":82055,"date":"2024-06-20T11:47:04","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=82055"},"modified":"2024-06-20T11:47:04","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:47:04","slug":"miami-heat-draft-targets-include-a-few-talented-college-guards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/20\/miami-heat-draft-targets-include-a-few-talented-college-guards\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Heat Draft Targets Include A Few Talented College Guards"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Miami Heat\u2019s draft considerations have included some new names to the pool as the draft draws nearer. Miami\u2019s first-round pick is vital for the organization as they hope to gain a player who can provide an immediate impact. Let&#8217;s dive into some possible targets.<\/p>\n<h2>Miami Heat Draft Targets Include A Few Talented College Guards<\/h2>\n<h3>Miami Trading Up May Be In Play<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Miami Heat draft targets have expanded recently, with a few new college names added to the list. Miami holds the 15th and 43rd pick in the first and second rounds of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/19\/2024-nba-draft-knicks-prospects\/\" target=\"_self\">2024 NBA Draft<\/a>. The Heat may try to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.12news.com\/video\/sports\/locked-on\/lo-miami\/heat-show\/miami-heat-rumored-to-trade-up-in-nba-draft\/535-151810fb-ff33-4cc1-9909-f8ffa3c98360\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">move up<\/a> in the draft via trade to land the organization a better pick. Many in the NBA and the media consider this year\u2019s draft one of the least impactful in the last several years. However, moving up to a top-ten pick is still better than Miami\u2019s current pick at fifteen.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Miami is likely to lose some key role players this offseason.\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/martica02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Caleb Martin<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/loveke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kevin Love<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/richajo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Josh Richardson<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0all have\u00a0player options while <a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/highsha01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Haywood Highsmith<\/a>\u00a0is an unrestricted free agent. Free agency hunting could be in each of their immediate futures. So, Miami could drive toward the goal of cashing in at the draft with a player who <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">can be inserted<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> into the rotation from the get-go of the regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Who Are The Heat Looking At Now?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h4 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Tyler Kolek<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/tyler-kolek-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Kolek<\/a>, out of Marquette, is one player Miami is rumored to be circling, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/nbadraft.theringer.com\/mock-draft\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Ringer\u2019s Kevin O\u2019Connor.<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: left;\">\u201cKolek\u2019s stock appears to be on the rise as the draft approaches, with teams viewing him as a versatile guard who can provide immediate knockdown shooting and reliable playmaking,\u201d O\u2019Connor wrote. \u201cI\u2019ve heard him connected as high as here, though perhaps if a lottery team trades down then Kolek could be a target for them too. If Miami lands him, then he would fill a clear position of need and could develop nice two-man chemistry with Bam Adebayo.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kolek <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is listed<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> among a young, talented point guard class, including\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/reed-sheppard-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Reed Sheppard<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/devin-carter-3.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Devin Carter<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/stephon-castle-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stephon Castle<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Miami Heat draft links with Sheppard and Carter are also in the rumor winds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Nikola Topic<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coming from Crvena Zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the Heat may be considering Serbian player <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/international\/players\/nikola-topic-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Topic<\/a>. The six-foot-six guard has impressed with his scoring abilities close to the basket and pick-and-roll play. Due to a partial ACL tear, Topic most likely would need time before joining the Heat roster. However, player development may benefit Topic in the meantime. <a href=\"https:\/\/nbadraft.theringer.com\/mock-draft\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin O&#8217;Connor<\/a> of The Ringer recently highlighted Topic&#8217;s skill set and spoke about his future development.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;He can score from all angles around the basket, consistently create out of pick-and-rolls and slip passes through the narrowest windows. His three-point shot isn\u2019t there yet, but his touch says it will be there at some point, especially if he winds up in a developmental program as high quality as the Heat\u2019s.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Kyshawn George<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A product of the Miami Hurricanes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/kyshawn-george-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyshawn George<\/a> appears to have caught the Heat&#8217;s radar due to his offensive upside. The wing shot 40.8 percent from three this past season, his only college season. He also impressed scouts with his assists and playmaking abilities. Miami has plenty of ball-handlers in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/butleji01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Butler<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/herroty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Herro<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/roziete01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Terry Rozier.<\/a>\u00a0It would be George&#8217;s scoring and passing threats that could become useful in the offensive zone.<\/p>\n<h3>Miami&#8217;s Draft Considerations To Target Offense<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Signs are showing that the Miami Heat\u2019s latest draft targets consist of guards and wings. With the Heat\u2019s offense underperforming this past season, adding players with offensive and scoring capabilities could be just what <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/04\/2024-nba-off-season-preview-whats-next-for-the-miami-heat\/\" target=\"_self\">Pat Riley<\/a> and the Miami Heat need for the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Miami Heat\u2019s draft considerations have included some new names to the pool as the draft draws nearer. Miami\u2019s first-round pick is vital for the organization as they hope to gain a player who can provide an immediate impact. Let&#8217;s dive into some possible targets. Miami Heat Draft Targets Include A Few Talented College Guards [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5081,"featured_media":82103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,16],"tags":[49040,1890,49252,142,254,227,419,427,1896],"class_list":["post-82055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-heat","tag-2024-nba-draft","tag-caleb-martin","tag-haywood-highsmith","tag-jimmy-butler","tag-josh-richardson","tag-kevin-love","tag-pat-riley","tag-terry-rozier","tag-tyler-herro"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5081"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}